Keith Wagner is in his fourth season as the Aggies offensive line coach.

In three seasons, Wagner has built an offensive line that has cleared the path for the MEAC leading rusher in two out of the last three years. In the one season the Aggies did not have the leading rusher under Wagner’s offensive line was in 2012 when Aggies running back Mike Mayhew finished fourth in the conference in rushing and as a team they finished third.

A&T quarterbacks have also been able to stay upright. In 795 pass attempts, A&T quarterbacks have only been sacked seven percent of the time. This resulted in the Aggies producing the program’s first ever 2,000 yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in a single season (2011).

Four different players – running backs Mike Mayhew, Ricky Lewis, Dominique Drake and quarterback Kwashaun Quick – all had more than 40 carries and averaged more than 4.0 yards per carry in 2012. The Aggies scored 23 rushing touchdowns in 2012, third best in the MEAC, and the team was third in the conference rushing yards per game (169.2). Running backs Tarik Cohen, Mayhew, Lewis and Drake have all had career years in rushing yardage running behind Wagner’s offensive line. In 2013, Cohen became the first Aggie freshman to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season behind the Aggies’ big men.

Left tackle William Ray Robinson III has been a preseason All-American and is a two-time all-conference performer. Right tackle Nathan Isles signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks.

Before coming to A&T, Wagner spent one season as Rod Broadway’s offensive line coach at Grambling. During his one season at Grambling, the Tigers offensive linemen made life comfortable for the quarterback. The Tigers only surrendered 1.91 sacks per game, the second fewest in the SWAC. The Tigers also had the second-best rushing offense in the SWAC, and running back Frank Warren rushed for 139.7 yards per game.

Prior to his stint at Grambling, Wagner was an assistant coach at Winston-Salem State, where he served as the Rams running back and strength and conditioning coach. In 2009, Wagner returned to Abilene Christian where he spent a portion of his collegiate career to coach running backs and serve as the team’s special teams.

Wagner has also been an assistant coach on the high school level. In 2006, he started a three-year stint as the defensive coordinator at Mary Carroll High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. There, special teams coordinator responsibilities were added to his duties along with defensive line and linebacker coach responsibilities.

Wagner’s other coaching stops include the University of Central Arkansas, Trinity Valley Community College, A&T, Midwestern State and Ranger College. Wagner was A&T’s running game coordinator, offensive line and strength and condition coach from 2001-02 under then head coach Bill Hayes. During his first coaching stint in Aggieland, Wagner coached two future NFL offensive linemen in Qasim Mitchell and Junius Coston. In 2001, that impressive line led the Aggies to the best scoring offense in the MEAC.

As a player, Wagner started his college football career at Texas Christian University. He spent three seasons with the Horned Frogs before transferring to Abilene Christian. During his only season at ACU in 1994, he earned second-team All-American honors along with first-team All-Lone Star Conference accolades as an offensive tackle. After leaving ACU, Wagner was invited to the Dallas Cowboys training camp.

He also spent time with the New York Giants (1995) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (1997). His professional football exploits also took him to NFL Europe, where his Scottish Claymores won the World Bowl in 1996. In 1998, his Rhein Fire was NFL Europe’s runner-up.

Wagner earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science degree at Midwestern University in 2000.